45
9.
10.
11.
The third part of the scheme as expressed in the
Governor's telegram is not very clear. He says that
"there is a demand for a very much larger area of deep
draught anchorage in the western portion of the harbour.
Survey indicates that it is to the best advantage to make
the fullest use of the ebb tide in maintaining the depth
in the harbour. About 700 yards south of the south west
of Stonecutter's Island a passage 550 feet wide could be
dredged in a south westerly direction to obtain benefit to
the harbour from the ebb tide. This passage would
provide a deep water entrance to the harbour from the westward and should prove invaluable in indicating the
The amount of proper line for deep draught anchorage.
material removed to deepen this passage to 36 feet would
provide the balance required to complete reclamation." We assume, however, with the Consulting Engineers that
there is a mistake in the telegram and that the words "a south westerly direction" should read "a south easterly
direction".
We note that one of the chief results hoped for is to
maintain the depth of the harbour by the increased scour
of the ebb tide. The Consulting Engineers say on this point that "the dredging of the proposed channel would no doubt promote a certain amount of scour through the
channel itself but it is doubtful if this would be
sufficient to maintain the channel without maintenance
dredging, especially as the proposed channel appears from the charts to be through mud. The general scouring action
of the ebb tide in the Harbour would not, in our opinion,
be affected to any appreciable extent".
On the whole, therefore, we think that the dredging of the Bilcher Ridge and the Penguin and Rambler Shoals and the dredging off Kowloon Point may be regarded as
4.